Tension gripped Simen Chapori area in Dhemaji district of Assam on August 25 when alleged encroachers resisted attempts by the police to shift them to refugee camps as they attacked the police with sticks and other sharp weapons.
As per reports, a large number of people have been settling in areas under Simen Chapori over a period of time, with the number now nearing 3,000.
Belonging mostly to Mising, Ahom and Bodo communities, these people have claimed to have lost their lands to erosion and have taken shelter in Simen Chapori.
As the number of settlers swelled over time, the local people had been demanding eviction of these settlers and had also staged a protest in the area on August 23, blocking the national highway for several hours.
When the Dhemaji district administration, assisted by the police, reached the area to evict the settlers and shift them to temporary camps, the settlers resisted the move.
A section of them chased the police and attacked with sticks and other sharp weapons, damaging several police vehicles as well.
Police had to resort to baton charge to control the situation, though a tensed situation still prevails in the area.
